North Korea Test Fires New Missiles, Report Says
UPDATE: 11:32 p.m. EDT — The U.S. military detected a North Korea missile test late Tuesday, a military spokesman said according to Reuters, adding that the missile exploded seconds after it was launched.
"U.S. Pacific Command detected what we assess was a failed North Korean missile launch attempt... in the vicinity of Kalma," Commander Dave Benham, a spokesman for U.S. Pacific Command, said in a statement. "A missile appears to have exploded within seconds of launch."
Original Story:
North Korea's Kim Jong Un may have test-fired several missiles late Tuesday, Kyodo News reported, citing a Japanese government source. While the launches are yet to be confirmed, it comes amid growing tensions in the Korean Peninsular and the West over Pyongyang's nuclear advancements.
The Japanese newspaper reported that the launch is believed to have been carried out from the eastern area of Wonsan. It also claimed that the missile launched may have failed, and that the type missile involved was unknown. Earlier this month, North Korea fired four ballistic missiles into the sea off Japan's northwest coast amid escalating tensions with South Korea and Japan.
South Korea's defense ministry said it was trying to confirm the report of the missile launches, which came just days after the reclusive country vowed to retaliate over U.S.-South Korea military drills.
Read: Do Sanctions Work? North Korea Nuclear Threat Could Be Punished By Trump Administration
North Korea continues to expand its nuclear arsenal and increase the resources in its uranium enrichment facility despite facing several sanctions by the U.N. Security Council, the U.S., South Korea, Japan and the EU. However, tough measures against Pyongyang has not stopped its leader Kim Jong Un from building and testing nuclear and ballistic missiles.
The news about the missile tests come as reports surfaced of a planned meeting between the top envoys of South Korea and the U.S. for Wednesday to discuss their coordinated approach toward North Korea's growing threats.
On Tuesday, U.S. defense officials said the military expects a North Korean missile launch in the next several days, the Washington Post reported.
Over the weekend, North Korea conducted a ground test of a new type of high-thrust rocket engine, which it hailed as a breakthrough for the country’s space program. Analysts believe that the move brings Pyongyang one step closer toward creating an intercontinental missile capable of targeting the U.S.
Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that "strategic patience has ended" and that a military response was “on the table” against North Korea. President Donald Trump also tweeted Friday that North Korea was “behaving very badly.”
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